Prevalence and Determinants of Toxoplasma Seropositivity among Women Who had Spontaneous Abortion in Gombe, North-Eastern Nigeria

Aim: To determine the seroprevalence and determinants of Toxoplasma IgG and IgM seropositivity among women with spontaneous abortion in Gombe.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 302 pregnant women with spontaneous abortion, presenting at the gynaecological emergency units of Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe and State Specialist Hospital Gombe. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data, and a venous blood sample was drawn from each participant and tested for Toxoplasma IgG and IgM by ELISA technique.

Results: Toxoplasma seroprevalence was 62(20.5%) and was higher in women that owned cats (24% vs 20.1%, OR 1.3, 0.5-3.1) and ate grilled meat (suya) (21.0% vs 11.8%, OR 2.0, 0.4-9.0), but lower in those that washed fruits and vegetables before consumption (OR 0.6, 0.2-1.4).

Conclusion: Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis in Gombe is high and may be influenced by cat ownership cooking and eating habit.